import { VisualEssay, registerAll } from "insightcharts";
// The slot props below are JSON specs. This makes their `type` names resolvable.
registerAll();
export function Example() {
return (
<VisualEssay
kicker="Energy transition"
title="Solar supplied 11.1% of EU electricity in 2024, more than coal's 9.8%"
deck="Solar's share was 2.9% in 2015. Coal's share was 24.6% in 2015."
byline="By the data desk"
date="2025-03-14"
blocks={[
{
kind: "prose",
lead: true,
text: "Solar supplied **2.9% of the EU's electricity** in 2015. Hydro supplied 11.5%.\n\nIn 2024 solar supplied 11.1%. It was the first full year in which solar generated more electricity than coal.",
},
{
kind: "figure",
chart: {
type: "line-chart",
data: [
{ year: "2015", Solar: 2.9, Coal: 24.6 },
{ year: "2016", Solar: 3, Coal: 22 },
{ year: "2017", Solar: 3.4, Coal: 20.6 },
{ year: "2018", Solar: 3.7, Coal: 19.2 },
{ year: "2019", Solar: 4.2, Coal: 15 },
{ year: "2020", Solar: 5, Coal: 13 },
{ year: "2021", Solar: 5.4, Coal: 14.7 },
{ year: "2022", Solar: 7, Coal: 15.8 },
{ year: "2023", Solar: 9.1, Coal: 12.3 },
{ year: "2024", Solar: 11.1, Coal: 9.8 },
],
x: "year",
y: ["Solar", "Coal"],
highlight: "Solar",
format: "{value}%",
zero: true,
title: "Solar's share rose from 2.9% to 11.1% between 2015 and 2024",
subtitle: "Share of EU electricity generation, 2015 to 2024",
annotations: [
{
type: "band",
axis: "x",
from: "2021",
to: "2022",
label: "Gas price crisis",
},
{
type: "point",
x: "2016",
y: 22,
label: "Coal",
position: "top",
dot: false,
},
],
source: "Ember, European Electricity Review 2025",
},
},
{
kind: "prose",
text: "Coal's share was 15.8% in 2022. It fell to 12.3% in 2023 and 9.8% in 2024. Solar's share rose from 7.0% to 11.1% in the same two years.",
},
{
kind: "break",
step: 1,
total: 3,
title: "Solar module prices, 2010 to 2024",
text: "A module cost $2.00 a watt in 2010. It cost $0.11 a watt in 2024.",
},
{
kind: "callout",
chart: {
type: "line-chart",
data: [
{ year: "2010", usd: 2 },
{ year: "2012", usd: 0.9 },
{ year: "2014", usd: 0.65 },
{ year: "2016", usd: 0.5 },
{ year: "2018", usd: 0.3 },
{ year: "2020", usd: 0.22 },
{ year: "2022", usd: 0.26 },
{ year: "2024", usd: 0.11 },
],
x: "year",
y: "usd",
format: { style: "currency", currency: "USD" },
zero: true,
area: true,
title: "Solar module prices fell from $2.00 to $0.11 a watt between 2010 and 2024",
subtitle: "Average price of crystalline silicon solar modules, US dollars per watt",
source: "IRENA and BloombergNEF (rounded)",
},
label: "Rooftop system cost",
lead: "Modules are now the smaller part of the cost of a rooftop system",
body: "Mounting, wiring, labour and the grid connection make up most of the cost.",
},
{
kind: "stats",
items: [
{
value: "338 GW",
label: "Solar capacity installed in the EU, end of 2024",
delta: "+66 GW",
deltaLabel: "in 2024",
},
{
value: "304 TWh",
label: "Solar generation, 2024",
delta: 0.22,
deltaLabel: "vs 2023",
},
{
value: "269 TWh",
label: "Coal generation, 2024",
delta: -0.16,
deltaLabel: "vs 2023",
upIsGood: false,
},
],
},
{
kind: "break",
step: 2,
total: 3,
title: "EU electricity generation by source, 2015 and 2024",
text: "Scroll to see the shares in 2015 and then in 2024.",
},
{
kind: "scrolly",
chart: {
type: "bar-chart",
data: [
{ source: "Nuclear", y2015: 26.5, y2024: 23.7 },
{ source: "Coal", y2015: 24.6, y2024: 9.8 },
{ source: "Gas", y2015: 15.8, y2024: 15.7 },
{ source: "Hydro", y2015: 11.5, y2024: 12.5 },
{ source: "Wind", y2015: 9.3, y2024: 17.4 },
{ source: "Solar", y2015: 2.9, y2024: 11.1 },
],
x: "source",
y: "y2015",
sort: "none",
orientation: "horizontal",
format: "{value}%",
height: 320,
title: "EU electricity generation by source, 2015",
subtitle: "Share of electricity generation",
source: "Ember, European Electricity Review 2025",
option: { xAxis: { max: 30 } },
},
stepHeight: "70vh",
stickyTop: 16,
steps: [
{
id: "baseline",
label: "2015",
content: "In 2015 **nuclear and coal** together supplied 51% of the EU's electricity.",
},
{
id: "coal",
content: "Coal supplied 24.6% in 2015. It was the second-largest source after nuclear.",
highlight: "Coal",
},
{
id: "coal-now",
label: "2024",
content: "Coal supplied 9.8% in 2024. Plants closed in Germany, Spain and Portugal.",
highlight: "Coal",
y: "y2024",
title: "EU electricity generation by source, 2024",
},
{
id: "solar",
content: "**Solar** supplied 11.1% in 2024. It supplied 2.9% in 2015. Wind supplied 17.4% in 2024 and gas 15.7%.",
highlight: "Solar",
y: "y2024",
title: "Solar supplied 11.1% of EU electricity in 2024",
},
],
},
{
kind: "quote",
quote: "Solar was 1% of Dutch generation in 2015. It was 18% in 2024. We have had to change how we run the grid at midday.",
attribution: "Marit de Vries",
role: "Head of system operations at a Dutch grid operator",
},
{
kind: "break",
step: 3,
total: 3,
title: "Solar share by country",
text: "Greece had the highest share in 2024 at 22.1%. Spain had 21.0%. France had 4.6%.",
},
{
kind: "multiples",
data: [
{ country: "Greece", year: "2015", share: 7.8 },
{ country: "Greece", year: "2018", share: 8.1 },
{ country: "Greece", year: "2021", share: 10.9 },
{ country: "Greece", year: "2024", share: 22.1 },
{ country: "Spain", year: "2015", share: 4.9 },
{ country: "Spain", year: "2018", share: 4.7 },
{ country: "Spain", year: "2021", share: 9.6 },
{ country: "Spain", year: "2024", share: 21 },
{ country: "Netherlands", year: "2015", share: 1 },
{ country: "Netherlands", year: "2018", share: 3.2 },
{ country: "Netherlands", year: "2021", share: 9.3 },
{ country: "Netherlands", year: "2024", share: 17.9 },
{ country: "Germany", year: "2015", share: 6 },
{ country: "Germany", year: "2018", share: 7.1 },
{ country: "Germany", year: "2021", share: 8.4 },
{ country: "Germany", year: "2024", share: 14.7 },
{ country: "Poland", year: "2015", share: 0 },
{ country: "Poland", year: "2018", share: 0.2 },
{ country: "Poland", year: "2021", share: 2.2 },
{ country: "Poland", year: "2024", share: 10.8 },
{ country: "France", year: "2015", share: 1.3 },
{ country: "France", year: "2018", share: 1.9 },
{ country: "France", year: "2021", share: 2.8 },
{ country: "France", year: "2024", share: 4.6 },
],
facet: "country",
x: "year",
y: "share",
highlight: ["Netherlands", "Poland"],
format: "{value}%",
columns: 3,
title: "Solar's share in the Netherlands rose from 1.0% to 17.9% between 2015 and 2024",
subtitle: "Solar share of electricity generation, 2015 to 2024, same scale in every panel",
source: "Ember (country series rounded, illustrative)",
width: "wide",
},
{
kind: "prose",
text: "Poland's solar share rose from 0.0% in 2015 to 10.8% in 2024. Retail electricity prices in the Netherlands and Poland rose after 2022. At those prices a rooftop system paid for itself in under seven years without subsidy.\n\nFrance has cheap nuclear power and slow permitting. Its solar share was 4.6% in 2024. Germany's was 14.7%.",
},
]}
sources={[
{
name: "Ember, European Electricity Review 2025",
url: "https://ember-energy.org",
},
"IRENA Renewable Power Generation Costs",
"BloombergNEF",
]}
period="2010 to 2024, annual"
method="Generation shares are of total net generation in the EU-27. Module prices are annual averages in nominal dollars."
note="EU totals are approximate, rounded for illustration. Country series and the quotation are illustrative."
credit="Analysis and charts by the data desk"
/>
);
}